Crown prosecutor Frank Caputo has declared his intention to run for the Conservative nomination to replace Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo MP, Cathy McLeod.

The son of Italian immigrants, Caputo, 42, has lived most of his life in Kamloops and said he feels privileged to have been born in the riding. When not working as a lawyer, Caputo teaches part-time at TRU’s law school.

“I’ve always come back to Kamloops. This area has always been home, I don’t ever see myself leaving because we love it here.”

Caputo said he first became interested in the law at the age of 14 and briefly worked as a parole officer in the South Cariboo before going to law school. Now a father of three with multiple degrees in law, Caputo said he enjoys mountain biking and camping with his family throughout the riding.

While he loves the region and all its hard-working “top-notch” people, Caputo doesn’t profess to know every part of it and said he’s looking forward to getting the chance to do so in the coming months.

READ MORE: Conservative race heats up to replace Cathy McLeod

“Politics has been on my heart for about 25 years since I was 17 years old. It was at the urging of the people around me and that this was an opportunity to succeed a member of parliament, Cathy McLeod, who has done really good things and build upon that,” Caputo said.

He’s been involved with the Conservative Party for the last decade serving as president and working closely with McLeod for the last three years. This experience has given him a pretty good sense of what the riding needs moving forward, Caputo said. He adds he loves working for people and he hopes to do it now in an elected capacity.

Over the last few years, Caputo said he’s watched Justin Trudeau do “not a lot” for British Columbia and the people of the riding. He said we should be considering a smaller government and lower taxes.

“I feel there’s been a lot of government overreach and I, as a Conservative am not a fan of, so I’d like to see that diminish.”

To help the riding specifically, Caputo said he wants to focus on healthcare and see more federal dollars be put into creating jobs for doctors in rural and smaller communities. While he hasn’t run for office before, Caputo sees this as a plus as it will allow him to bring a fresh new voice to the political stage.

“I’m full of passion for the community and this is something I’m choosing to do not for any other reason but to serve the people of the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo.”

Caputo joins the race alongside Tourism Kamloops CEO Beverely DeSantis, Tobiano Golf Course founder Michael Grenier and Barriere Mayor Ward Stamer. No date has yet been set for the next federal election.

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